Title: A Face without a Heart (4th Edition)
Author: Rick R. Reed
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Length: Novel (200 pages)
Publisher: DSP Publications (January 31, 2017)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts
Blurb: A modern-day and thought-provoking retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that esteemed horror magazine Fangoria called “…abook that is brutally honest with its reader and doesn’t flinch in the areas where Wilde had to look away…. A rarity: a really well-done update that’s as good as its source material.”
A beautiful young man bargains his soul away to remain young and handsome forever, while his holographic portrait mirrors his aging and decay and reflects every sin and each nightmarish step deeper into depravity… even cold-blooded murder. Prepare yourself for a compelling tour of the darkest sides of greed, lust, addiction, and violence.
First Edition paperback published by Design Image Group, 2000.
Second Edition paperback published by iUniverse/Back in Print, 2006.
First Edition eBook published by Bristlecone Press, 2009.
ISBN-13: 978-1-63533-263-6
Product Link: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/a-face-without-a-heart-by-rick-r-reed-350-b
Reviewer: Shorty
Review: Having read the story and seen the movies about Dorian Gray I was not sure what to expect with this book. It was thought provoking and intriguing as we learn Liam is the artist that paints the picture that ages. Liam was intriguing yet at times seemed a little to absorbed in his own world which I expected. Upon meeting Gary, someone who I didn’t like to begin with, he insists on painting his portrait.
Gary is what I would call self centered and arrogant. He knows he looks good. When he sells his soul in order to stay young his life takes a downhill turn. Drugs, murder, mayhem and mystery surround Gary as we follow him down his own rabbit hole.
The details of the different scenes throughout were well written and thought out. I felt as though I was actually there witnessing what was happening. The story grabs the reader from the start and does not let go until the very end. It was a fantastic story that I enjoyed very much.